


The Last Winter

by Gumbies



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Aster is a mess, Death, Depression, JackRabbit - Freeform, M/M, ROTG - Freeform, Sad, Triggers, if you're attached to the characters you'll hate my guts., some of these things might be triggering for you so im putting the warning in the tags, there will be smut later in the story, this is a sad story im just warning you now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2017-11-16
Packaged: 2019-01-27 23:22:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12592836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gumbies/pseuds/Gumbies
Summary: What would life be like without fun? What would life be like without hope?





	1. Nothing Was Right

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: I usually always add my headcanons into stories I write, especially in the ROTG fics I write. This fic is based off of the movie, I have little knowledge on the book version of each character (So far, I’m getting some books very soon and hope to add on to the collection ^^) so I stick to the knowledge I have of the movie’s portrayals of the characters. One thing you’ll notice is that I address Aster’s ability to manipulate the landscape around him, but in my headcanon, its more than just making flowers grow. You’ll see what I mean when you read this and other chapters. This chapter may be shorter than the other ones! Please don’t be fooled by the length of Chapter One, this will most definitely be a multi fic story.
> 
> ALSO: I don't have a beta reader, so I apologize for any story mishaps.

The sun set on the Warren’s hills, casting a brilliant violet and dangerous red light across the land. The flowers were dead, the grass was yellow and brown, and the air was sickly cold. Nothing seemed beautiful besides the sunset, the last thing of color before night crept through.   
Inside a den, tucked away in the shadows where no one could find him was Aster, Shamelessly chugging away at an unmarked bottle full of alcohol. Once that bottle was empty, it was thrown aside and on to the next. Each bottle crashed against the wall, leaving multicolored glass to scatter the corner of the room.

His fur was matted and dark, his eyes bloodshot and tired, and his hands shook violently. One would think he was either dying or on the brink of insanity. He assumed both. He drank to forget, but it seemed to make everything clearer. His vivid memories of simpler times, hardship, and heartache, all seemed to project themselves back into his racing mind. All which encompassed one root thought.   
The name hurt, thinking about him at all hurt. 

Jack was gone. 

The thought was the reason he drank, the reality was the reason he hid from everything.   
It was this reality which made the last three standing guardians more than concerned for their Pookan friend. Multiple attempts were made at contacting him, and all were dismissed. Tooth was the first, she had spent many days flying to the Warren to seek communication, and all she got was over growth that cut off the entrance. Unfortunately Sandy got the same answer multiple times.

North was the only one to talk with him. 

With wishful thinking, he managed to cut through the vines, wiggling through them as they began to grow back. Once inside, the horrific shock of seeing the Warren in such a drab and deathly state made North cover his mouth in dismay. The once live and lush land that Aster had flourished in was now a visual snapshot of what he could only assume was Aster’s mind. Trees were toppled over from decay, mounds that held flowers and moss, held a black and brittle rot. 

“Aster!” He called out into the darkness, but only heard the echoes of his own voice. “Aster! I know you’re here. Come out see we can talk.” T he eerie quiet made North shiver. 

“You can go to hell North.” A voice shot out from the black, the sound of twigs snapping got closer to North, he gripped his swords. 

“I just want to talk with you.” North kept his voice quiet and gentle.

“Talk about what exactly? How I should just suck it up and become a functioning Guardian again?” His voice was angry and loud, North could see the vines on the walls grow and wrap around the walls tighter.

Stepping out into the dull light, North stood in shock in sight of Aster. His appearance shocked him so much that he stepped back in fear. His fur was way darker than before, so dark that he practically blended in with the Warren.

“Aster, what… what happene-“ 

“What happened to me? Funny you should ask, ‘what happened’ was this whole situation. How no one bothered to care or realize what was going on.” His voice shook painfully as he shouted each word. 

“I bother, Aster. I always have. I understand that Jack’s death was hardest thing you’ve seen in many years, but you have to understand that he would not want you to hide in here like recluse. He’d want you to thrive.”

“You know what I think he’d want? I think he’d want to be here. I think he’d want to be alive, standing next to me, telling you to get the hell out.” Aster turned to leave, but stopped when he heard swords being thrown to the ground.

“This is pointless Aster. What good does it do to hide? No good, which is why you need to come back as a Guardian. You know it would be what the real Jack would have wanted, whether you want to admit or not.” 

With his back still turned, he straightened up, and continued to walk away.

“Time for you to leave.” He said quietly. Without warning, hundreds of vines shot at North, violently throwing him out of the Warren. His swords shot out and planted with a loud crack into the wall of the tunnel above his head. The vines he cut through were thicker and stronger than before, his attempts of cutting through again were to no avail. 

That was that. He didn’t want to talk. He didn’t want to be seen.

\-------

After a year, things were no different. Aster still did Easter, he didn’t want to disappoint the children, and he thought that if he could do one thing right, it was to continue to make children happy. Sophia was the one to make him reconsider his choice of not doing Easter that year, the thought of her disappointment after all she had been through herself during that year crushed him. She didn’t quite understand everything, but he knew making her smile would be the best thing for her. 

His only motivation of being a Guardian once out of the year was to maybe bring some happiness into children’s lives, something even he noticed was lacking after Jack’s death. It was as if a sweep of dread went through the world and each child felt a small amount of grief. 

But after Easter was over, it was back to the Warren.

One night, as he slept in the disheveled den he called a home, his dreams got the better of him once again. This recurring dream was no different than a nightmare to him. It was of Jack, smiling and laughing, Aster holding him in his arms, times before everything.   
It always ended the same. Jack would be talking normally, then go silent. It was then that Aster knew that his dream was over and started to plead with Jack not to go. 

Pleading turned to weeping as each dream occurred, but nothing stopped Jack from standing up and walking straight out of the Warren. Aster always woke up shaking; it wasn’t sadness he felt, but fear. His hope was always that he wasn’t going to be alone, and now he was. Aster no longer had hope for anything.


	2. Before The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYee
> 
> Sorry my schedule is off XD
> 
> A l s o, I'm very bad at describing sexy times between Jack and Aster. There is a NSFW portion to this chapter, but I'm working up the nads to actually make it smutty XD
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy this new chapter!

One Year Earlier…

As the sun shined bright above the Warren full of diverse flora, Aster and Jack were tucked away fast asleep in each other’s arms, or more like Aster holding Jack as he lied on his chest. Aster grew used to the constant light flurry wherever Jack was, especially in the den. There was always a small amount of snow on him when he woke up, as well as along the edges of the walls and on Jack. Just as he was used to the snow, he was used to the cold, he actually preferred it since being with Jack.

He woke up with Jack wrapping his hands around his back, burying his fingers into his fur. The sudden cold from the non-exposed portion of his body made him shiver, but he adjusted quickly. Jack had told him that he didn’t experience warmth, but that light burning sensation you get when you warm yourself up after being very cold. He seemed to enjoy that feeling. 

The Pooka wrapped his arms around him tighter, nuzzling the top of Jack’s fluffy white hair. Jack stirred at the action, humming contently into the chest of his mate.

“You awake?” Aster asked quietly, reaching his hand to move the white strands of hair out of Jack’s face so he could see him better.  
“Mhmm” He replied with a happy and tired hum as he curled up more into the Pooka’s chest. Aster laughed, Jack was never the one to be up early.

“How’d you sleep?” Aster asked as he stretched his arms up, Jack still laying contently on him.

He didn’t answer at first, he just tensed up. When he finally answered he sounded out of character.

“I had a nightmare.” He said, his voice was quiet. Aster looked down at the smaller, Jack’s gaze didn’t meet his. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

Jack sat up and sat in front of Aster, he sat up as well.

“There was a flower, an Aster to be exact,” That prompted Aster to tilt his head questioningly. “And it was surrounded by darkness. There wasn’t a light source or anything; it just stood out in the blackness.”

Jack then looked more scared than anything and curled his knees up to his chest.

“Then it disappeared into nothing, it sounded like it got covered in sand. I walked towards it, but something stopped me, vines… or… something, stopped me. I looked down and saw strands of sand all tangled around my legs, then all of them started trailing up my body…” Jack put his head down on his arms that were holding his legs.

“I think Pitch is plotting something…” Jack said quietly, not looking at his more than justifiably concerned Mate. 

“Well even if he is, I won’t let anything happen to you, Frostbite.” Aster’s voice was reassuring to the Winter Guardian, he nodded with acknowledgement.

Aster gestured for Jack to come over to him, holding his arms out. Jack smiled and proceeded to crawl into the embrace of the Pooka.   
“What if something does happen and you can’t stop it?” Jack said quietly, leaning against Aster’s shoulder.

“Impossible.” He replied quickly, holding Jack against him. The tips of fur on Aster where Jack sat was frosted over.

“I’m serious, Cottontail.” Jack whispered.

“So am I.” 

Jack looked up to see Aster smiling at him. The Pooka leaned down and kissed Jack on the forehead; the Winter Spirit closed his eyes and smiled happily. 

“I love you.” Aster hummed, he tilted Jack’s head up and kissed him lightly on the nose.

“I know.” Jack said with a smirk, leaning into Aster to kiss him. The Pooka smiled against Jack’s lips, holding the spirits face. He leaned over Jack, laying him on the ground, Jack grinned happily at the change in behavior.

Aster’s hands found themselves pulling the hoody over Jack’s head, then leaning to kiss his collar bone. Jack bit his lip appreciatively, running his hands through the fur of Aster’s back. The Pooka growled quietly into the junction of Jack’s neck and shoulder, biting lightly on the icy skin. The heat from his mouth made Jack squirm, a small amount of steam came off his shoulder. Jack lifted his hips up to Aster’s, causing him to bite harder than before. His pants were in the way of Jack’s objective; luckily Aster noticed his irritation and proceeded to remove the Spirits pants with only slight haste. 

“How long has it been?” Jack managed to breathe out, slightly overwhelmed by the lack of cold.

“Too long.” Aster replied, trailing kisses down Jack’s chest and stomach. 

Jack let out a small groan as Aster began to stroke his member, sucking and biting on his stomach. Steam continued to rise off of Jack’s skin, making his Mate laugh, feeling pleased with himself as he watched Jack unravel. His free hand was tightly gripping Jack’s hip, slightly digging his claws into his skin. Aster looked up at his Mate who was making soft noises of appreciation.

He stopped teasing Jack and fumbled around the edge of the bed, trying to find the bottle of lube they had stashed away for occasions like this.

“By my staff.” Jack said with a small chuckle. Aster looked up and nodded, then got up to grab it. They had been so busy with their duties; they had no time or energy for themselves. Aster quickly returned with the bottle, applying a healthy amount to his fingers. Jack raised his hips again, desperate for contact.

Aster slowly slipped one finger in, Jack groaned deep in his throat, causing his chest to vibrate. Aster quickened his pace and watched Jack grind his hips along with him. Aster let another finger in and Jack almost went over, the lack of contact they had was now coming back at full force. Jack's hands dug further into the ground, gripping the moss tightly. Aster leaned forward and kissed Jack passionately on the lips, keeping his pace steady, Jack couldn't contain his whimpers. He thoroughly enjoyed torturing Jack like this, he could easily just take him and be done with it all, but he liked to stretch it out as long as he could just so he could watch the Spirit beg.

As he was nearing the act of taking Jack, he heard commotion outside the den. His ears went up in alert but the rest of him continued, still torturing Jack with delicate fingering. He stopped abruptly when he pinpointed the sound. It was North.

"You've got to be bloody kidding me." Aster groaned, sitting up and pulling his fingers out of Jack who was not pleased by this action.  
"North has decided to pay us a visit." Aster said, peaking out through the upper window of the den. Sure enough he saw North looking around the Warren seeming confused by the vast amount of dark red flowers were changing back to their original variety of colors.

"What? Why?" Jack asked with a tone of confusion and annoyance.

"The hell if I know." Aster dragged his non lubed hand over his face.

Jack began muttering curses as he started to dress himself, fixing his hair and brushing off the moss that had collected on his clothes.  
As they both made their way out of the den with angry expressions, North turned around.

"Ah! There you both are!" He began then stopped, "Jack, you seem, flushed." North pointed out, with little to say about Aster, who had Jack stand in front of him for a reason.

"It's too hot in the Warren sometimes." Jack said dully, little expression in his voice made North figure he was an unwanted guest.  
He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, I'm here on business matter." North’s face changed and he looked like he was at a funeral.  
“It’s lights again. For some reason, they are going out. Not as fast as before, but steadily.” North said, his hands messed with the buttons on his coat.  
“Come on Mate, it can’t be Pitch. It just can’t.” Aster replied with haste, both trying to reassure North but also get him to leave.  
“We got rid of him for good, North.” Jack said with a smile, trying his best to see the glass half full even though he himself knew that something was terribly wrong.

“Jack, you may be Guardian, but there is so much you don’t know.” North said quietly.

“I know enough.” Jack snapped back, narrowing his eyes at him. Aster couldn’t suppress his proud smile at his Mate’s quick retaliation.  
“Even so, Pitch isn’t mortal.” They all went silent.

Jack couldn’t help but think about his dream he had, a shudder ripped through him and fear began to creep in his mind. What if he was right? What if Pitch was going to do something, possibly worse than trying to rid the world of what the Guardians could offer. His vision became hazed and he felt extremely light headed. North took immediate notice of Jack’s obvious distress.

“Jack, you seem pale, are you okay?” Both Aster and North looked at Jack.

“Yeah I’m just…” Before he could finish his thought, both of the other Guardians jumped back in surprise with alarm.

“Jack! Your hair!” They both exclaimed, Jack immediately reached up to feel his head, looking puzzled by their reaction due to him not feeling anything.

“What?” He asked, their expressions not changed.

Aster walked up to him and proceeded to pluck a hair off of his head.

“Ow!”   
“Look.” Aster lifted the hair to his face. 

In his hand, was a single black strand of hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It just gets angsty from here on out guys. Also North is the ultimate cock block.
> 
> If you want follow me on places besides here, here's the places to find me *awkward thumbs up*
> 
> @gum_bies on Instagram (Sfw)  
> @inksmd on Twitter (Nsfw-Sfw)  
> @gumbies on Tumblr (Nsfw-Sfw)  
> @gumbies on the ROTG amino (Sfw)

**Author's Note:**

> My posting schedule at this point is every Wednesday, but that's if I'm lucky. If you're interested in other ROTG content by me, follow my tumblr @gumbies and at the ROTG amino @gumbies as well :3


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